If you’re self-employed or have more than 25% ownership in a business venture, your lender will require different documentation. The requirements may vary depending on the type of loan you’re applying for, but these are some of the documents commonly requested:

K-1s

Balance sheets

Profit and loss statements

All pages and schedules of business and personal tax returns

At this point in the process, underwriters will also verify your employment.

Property

While the underwriting process is happening, your lender will order an appraisal, which is usually required when refinancing and is always required for home purchases.

The purpose of the appraisal is twofold: It protects you from overpaying when you’re buying a house, and it protects the lender and investor (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, etc.) from lending more than the value of the house.

Because the house serves as collateral for the loan, it’s necessary that the investor be able to recover invested capital if the borrower defaults on the loan. Because of this, lenders aren’t allowed to loan you more money than the house is worth.

Assets

Underwriters will also take a look at any saved assets you may have such as checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds and proceeds from the sale of items. When an underwriter reviews your assets, they look to make sure the money is actually yours, and not just a loan from someone else.

Your underwriter may also check to make sure you have cash available for reserves. Reserves are measured in terms of the number of months you could make your mortgage payment if you lost your income.

Some loan programs require reserves. Even if they aren’t mandatory, having reserves makes you more likely to be approved because it demonstrates that you’re prepared for the financial responsibility of homeownership.

Credit

The final big thing underwriters look at is your credit record. Of course, lenders get your score early on. There’s more involved, though. The underwriters look at your credit report to determine how much debt you have compared to your income. This is known as your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.

This is easier to explain with a real-world scenario, so let’s lay one out.

Say you have a monthly income of $3,500 and a car payment of $400. Your credit cards have a total of $500 in monthly balances, and you have a $600 projected house payment with taxes and insurance. Your total DTI would be around 43% ($1,500/$3,500).

The required DTI ratio varies based on the loan you’re trying to get, but the lower your DTI ratio, the better. A low DTI ratio means you’re likely to have more money available to make your payment every month.

If you’re just looking at basic score requirements, the minimum FICO credit score for FHA is 580, and for conventional loans, it’s 620. There’s no specific minimum for VA loans, but lenders may have their own requirements. (At Quicken Loans, the minimum score for a VA loan is 620.)

Now that you have an idea of what your lender is looking for, here’s more information on the Quicken Loans mortgage process. If you have any other questions about underwriting or any other part of the process, let us know in the comments, and we’ll be sure to answer them.

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This Post Has 8 Comments

After trying to get a refinance with another mortgage company I was told to wait 4 months and give them a call back then. I have fair credit, I was in need of a refinance on my home , I contacted Quicken Loans and ask for help on a refinance not only did they approve me but they have been in contact with me every day about the ongoing activity with my contract. We haven’t closed yet but I’m very happy with agents & the speed of Quicken Loans , We should be closing the deal soon . I want to thank my agent KC Gregor for a great job !! I’m looking forward to becoming a Quicken Loans customer . I Will tell my family & friends about Quicken Loans .

We are looking to close on a house on the 12th of June, 2019. There was information asked on three different occasions for payment history on a property we own. That information was provided. Now that we are about to close and potentially lose the property and all the money is invested into it ,( e.i inspection and Appraisal) we are now informed that the information was not recieved on the 10th of June 2019! The underwriters request for information is holding up the process of closing on just a few months of mortgage payments to a previous property. Specifically for months May through August, 2017. We are moving out of state and have a family of 9 packed and ready this is ridiculous and insensitive. The underwriter and everyone at Quicken Loans is well aware how things work how is it that this information is just now being requested 2 days before closing!!!!!!! This is people’s livelihoods that are at risk and it is not fair that due to the incompetence of another we all have to suffer.

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience, and I’m going to get this over to our client relations team to work to get this turned around for you as soon as possible. I absolutely understand your frustration. Have a good night and someone will be in contact in the morning at the latest.

I’m going to have someone from our Pulse recruiting team reach out to you regarding further information on our underwriting positions.

I can tell you that in general, we look for highly motivated individuals who are ready to hit the ground running contribute in a meaningful way. Quicken Loans® internship program is not one in which there is a lot of meaningless busywork. If you work hard, there’s a chance to contribute to something real that positively impacts the company and our clients. I would know. I started as an intern on the blog team before eventually moving into a full-time role.

Thanks and sorry for the late response. I actually just got accepted and will be starting my internship very soon (hence my reason for asking). It’s helpful to know you too started as an intern and established a more flourishing role within the company. Looking forward to seeing where it goes and thanks again for the advice.